Philosopher’s Walk: A Free Colouring Mural of Toronto

If you needed proof that adult colouring had gone from fringe, subcultural activity to apple pie pastime, a Maclean’s article on the physical hazards of excessive colouring that appeared in August would have provided such proof in spasms. Arthritic ones. Further proof comes in the form of rows upon rows of shelvage now given over to colouring books at your local Indigo. We are in the midst of an adult colouring revolution! Even in the Maritimes!

At Pilot we’ve been intrigued by the story of colouring. We’re story designers, which means we’re interested in the mechanics of a trend, its origin, its arc, its reason for being. In the case of adult colouring, the story is simple. Colouring just makes people feel really good. It’s also something you can do while chatting with friends over beer. As long as you don’t spill said beer on your friend’s nearly-completed page of 14th century tapestry.

This year’s TEDxToronto conference theme was Thresholds. A threshold can define that moment when something goes from niche to normative. From odd to ordinary to…everywhere? For TEDxToronto we created Philosopher’s Walk, a tendinitis-inducing colouring mural. Philosopher’s Walk is a much-loved footpath, a calm space in the middle of a busy city. A lot of people find colouring calming as well. We’re doubling down on the calm. Calm is good.

While the bestseller lists are overrun with amazing colouring titles, there wasn’t much in the way of Canadian content. We hope this Toronto mural helps remedy that. You can download it here for the next collaborative colouring party you just know you plan to throw.

There are twenty hidden Toronto landmarks/people/animal celebrities/snacks in the mural as well. See if you can find them all.